First Lensman
Edward E. Smith
Hardcover
(Fantasy Press, March 15, 1950)
Inscribed to R. P. Phillips and signed by author. This first edition was limited to 5000 copies. In First Lensman, we find the benevolent super-beings of Arisia ready to bestow the first "lens" on a human being (which, among other things, will give humans telepathic powers). The honor goes to Virgil Samms, who will ever after be known as the "First Lensman." But it's a title that he'll have to earn by establishing the Galactic Patrol, a group that is at once powerful and incorruptible, and will protect the universe from the evil and almost-unstoppable Eddorians. If that weren't tough enough, Samms must also dodge assassination attempts at home and help his second-in-command, Rod "The Rock" Kinnison, win the presidency of North America. And that's just the beginning of his troubles.